Screening exams and biopsies are used to detect cancer and other diseases. For example, a mammogram may be obtained to perform a breast cancer screening exam. If an abnormality is detected during the screening exam then a biopsy may be performed. One form of breast abnormality which may be indicative of cancer is the presence of micro-calcifications within the breast. In the case of a breast biopsy, the patient is positioned so that the area of interest associated with the abnormality can be localized, and one or more biopsy or “core” tissue samples obtained using a biopsy needle.
The tissue samples are then extracted from the needle and placed on a specimen tray. An operator, such as a radiologist, then arranges the samples on the specimen tray. These steps are made more difficult because the samples may be tightly intertwined against each other, and small parts must be manipulated by the operator while wearing protective gloves. Once the samples are arranged on the specimen tray, the tray is transported to an x-ray machine which may be in a different room. Finally, the x-ray images must be examined by skilled personnel for the presence of microcalcifications or other abnormalities.
Micro-calcifications are easily seen in x-ray images. The presence of calcifications in the captured images is indicative of accurate targeting of the area of interest and the potential presence of cancer. The absence of calcifications in tissue samples is inconclusive because it can indicate either that the area of interest is free of calcifications or that incorrect or insufficient tissue has been biopsied to present the calcifications. When samples with calcifications are not obtained the biopsy procedure may need to be repeated, i.e., a second pass biopsy. A second pass biopsy is generally undesirable because it increases the amount of time the patient is in compression and the overall procedure time.
When the biopsy procedure is completed the tissue samples are sent to a pathology lab for further analysis. In many cases, the user will separate the cores with calcifications, place them in a separate specimen jar, and label as such for the pathologist. This is accomplished by comparing the specimen tray with cores, to the X-ray or radiograph of the specimen tray with cores. The radiograph can then be correlated to the actual specimen tray and cores. The user is then able to separate the cores with calcifications and place them into a formalin jar. The cores without calcifications are then placed in a separate formalin jar. This process requires a large amount of manipulation of the cores and requires a fair amount of human intervention.
It is known to decrease the amount of time required to perform a biopsy by using a Radiography Specimen Cabinet (RSC). RSCs are relatively small portable self-contained imaging systems used to obtain images of small to medium sized tissue samples following tissue removal. A RSC can be located close to the location of the patient during the biopsy procedure, e.g., in the same room, thereby reducing the time required to transport the samples to x-ray imaging equipment. However, the time required to remove and arrange the samples for imaging is still relatively long.